


Something Just Like This

by justsomebucky



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Aging, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Best Friends, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Jealousy, Married Life, Mentions of Death, Past Character Death, Songfic, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-02
Updated: 2017-07-02
Packaged: 2018-11-22 11:32:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,831
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11379342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justsomebucky/pseuds/justsomebucky
Summary: This was a submission for a tumblr AU challenge using "Something Just Like This" - The Chainsmokers, Coldplay. This is the story of an ordinary couple with an extraordinary love.





	Something Just Like This

> _I’ve been reading books of old_  
>  The legends and the myths  
>  Achilles and his gold  
>  Hercules and his gifts  
>  Spiderman’s control  
>  And Batman with his fists  
>  And clearly I don’t see myself upon that list

“We’re not on the playground right now, _Wanda,_ we’re in _Themyscira_!”

You watched from behind the slide as your best friend Natasha scolded your other best friend. The three of you were playing superheroes, and even though you wanted to be Wonder Woman, Natasha claimed her first.  

“But Na- _ta-sha,_ ” Wanda whined. “Supergirl doesn’t _live_ in Themsc…Themysh…”

“Themyscira,” Natasha corrected her. “And it doesn’t matter, because you and Y/N are _my_ group, and you follow _me_.”

Her head turned as she scanned the playground, apparently forgetting you were right behind her (even though you were sort of crouching).

Wanda nudged her arm, pointing to you. “Y/N isn’t here with us, she’s over on those stinky boys’ planet!”

_Were you?_

You looked around with big eyes. How were you supposed to know where the line was to Wonder Woman’s island? It all looked like the same playground!

“Y/N, come on, we don’t have time! Recess is almost over!” Natasha put her hands on her hips, and you knew she meant business. No one crossed Natasha at recess.

“It’s all right.”

The three of you looked to your right. One of the boys Wanda was talking about was standing there.

You stared at him in confusion. “What?”

He gestured around you both. “You can be on our planet if you want to.”

“Oh.” Your brows furrowed for a second, then you smiled. “Can I be someone from your planet? Someone cool?”

“Uh. Well, no one’s from the planet, it’s not like that, we’re just here to find a lost lightsaber.”

“A _what_?” Maybe this planet wasn’t for you after all.

“It’s sort of like a light-up sword,” he explained, his blue eyes brightening. “I can show you when we get back inside! I have one on my spelling folder!”

His excitement was weird…Natasha never let you get this excited about stuff. 

You wanted to be excited about recess. 

“So if I’m on your planet, who am I?”

“Leia!” he blurted out. “You can be Leia.”

“Leia? Who’s that?” You scrunched your nose at him. “Is she a bad guy?”

“No, she’s a hero. She’s Luke’s twin sister.”

“Oh. Who’s Luke?”

“He’s a Jedi, and he’s cool. Steve’s playing him.” The boy threw a thumb over his shoulder. “That’s my best friend.”

“How come you let him be the cool one?”

He looked like he didn’t know what to say. “I…I don’t mind Han. Han is cool, too.”

“What’s he do?”

“What do you mean?”

You shrugged. “Like is he a superhero?”

“Oh. No, he’s just a guy, he’s a pilot, but he helps a lot.”

“Y/N! Are you gonna play or not?” Natasha called from her spot in Themyscira.

“You don’t have to stay,” the boy said quietly, bowing his head. “I know it probably isn’t as cool as playing superheroes for you. It was just an idea I had.”

You glanced from him, to Natasha, then back again. A planet away from Natasha yelling at you sounded fun right now. “I can’t leave now. I’m Leia!”

“I’m Han,” he said, holding his hand out. “Han Solo.”

You didn’t see what all the fuss was about. He didn’t look like he had cooties, so you shook his hand. “Nice to meet you, Han. I think pilots are cool.”

He couldn’t stop his smile. “My real name is James, but everyone calls me Bucky.”

“Bucky?” You liked the sound of that. It was soft, like his voice. “I’m Y/N.”

“Y/N,” he repeated, grinning at you. “Come on, I’ll race you to the spaceship!”

> _But she said, “Where d’you wanna go?_  
>  How much you wanna risk?  
>  I’m not looking for somebody  
>  With some superhuman gifts  
>  Some superhero, some fairytale bliss  
>  Just something I can turn to  
>  Somebody I can kiss  
>  I want something just like this.”

You found your best friend standing at his locker, completely spaced out. He was staring with an unhappy look on his face, but you couldn’t see if there was anything in there that was causing this, or if he was just lost in thought.

“Earth to Bucky!”

His eyes met yours and he blinked a few times. “Hey.”

“Are you hiding something interesting in there?” You leaned over to try to peer inside, and you caught a glimpse of something familiar just before he slammed the door shut.

“No,” he sputtered, leaning back against the metal door. “I thought you had a student council meeting after school?”

“It’s over already,” you replied, shrugging. “Turns out half the reps are on the Prom committee, too, and they were more interested in going to that meeting.”

Bucky nodded, looking anywhere but you as he turned away. “Okay, well, I’ll see you around I guess.”

Yeah, he was acting really freaking weird. 

You reached out a hand to stop him, touching his arm gently. “What’s the rush?”

He turned back, looking down at your hand and pulling away like it burned him or something. “I, uh…I have to get home. Sarah has a science project she needs help with.”

“Okay. I have to go tutor Sam anyways.”

If he was going to be weird about it, you’d let him be weird. He’d come around eventually. You shrugged casually, moving past him toward the exit, where your car was waiting.

“Sam? You…you tutor _Sam_ now?”

Okay, so maybe you said that on purpose. 

You had kept that tidbit from him, because he had this vendetta against the quarterback of the football team. He said it was because Sam once had people start calling him the Winter Soldier after he wore a heavy military jacket he’d gotten at the thrift store. 

You kind of saw the point of his vendetta. 

Bucky loved that jacket, and you had to admit it looked pretty cool with the red star on the left sleeve. He looked good in it. 

But since that incident, he never wore it to school or anywhere else again, which was really kind of depressing. He should be allowed to dress how he wants if it doesn’t go against policy.

Sam wasn’t doing very well in physics, though, and the teacher had offered extra credit if you could help him out, so you agreed. It wasn’t like you sought out the chance to hang around him, though you certainly didn’t mind it. Sam was bright, funny, and kind, and you really couldn’t understand what had possessed him to mock Bucky that day. 

Maybe you could convince him to apologize.

You looked back to Bucky. “Mr. Stark asked me to. He said that Sam asked for me. It’s not a big deal.”

“You realize that Sam has a giant crush on you, right?” Bucky shifted his backpack on his shoulder, clearly uncomfortable. “I mean, why else would he ask for you?”

“Well, thank you very much, _best friend_. It couldn’t be because I’m acing that class, now, could it?” You rolled your eyes and started walking away again.

“He’s going to ask you to Prom,” Bucky called out behind you.

That stopped you in your tracks. The quarterback, the most popular guy in school who could have anyone he wanted, was going to ask _you_? 

“Really?”

Bucky made his way to stand in front of you again, his blue-grey eyes searching yours. “Do you think you’d go with him?”

You eyed him back for a second, trying to decide how to word what you were about to say. It was something you’d thought about for the last year or so now, when you realized the truth about your feelings for him. Senior year was almost over, and your chance to tell him the truth was too.

He took your silence as a yes, and nodded, looking a little disappointed in you. “I figured. Well-“

“Actually,” you interrupted, putting one hand on your hip. “I was waiting for you to ask me, but you haven’t yet.”

“Me?” Bucky blinked at you in surprise. “I…I wasn’t planning on going to Prom.”

“Well then I’m not going either.” You shrugged again. “We can go see a movie or something.”

“You have to go to Prom, you’ve been talking about it for months now,” he exclaimed. “You can’t stay home. You even bought a dress!”

Time to take some action.

You couldn’t stop the smile from tugging on your lips. “Well, Buck, I would say I have a bit of a dilemma then. See, I do want to go, but I don’t want to go without you. So what do you say? Will you be my prom date?”

“You seriously would rather go with me than with Sam, big shot quarterback?” Bucky shook his head at you. “Why? I’m not nearly as cool. I’ll be a hit on your reputation.”

“James Barnes, if you think for one second that I give a shit about my high school reputation, you’re crazy.”

He was about to speak again, but you reached up and wrapped your hand around the nape of his neck. That seemed to shut him up as he stared at you with wide eyes.

“Wh- what are you doing?”

“I know you have my senior picture hanging in your locker,” you murmured, your fingers caressing his skin. “I don’t care if you aren’t quarterback. I’m not looking for someone to boost my popularity. I only want you. What do you say, Bucky?”

Before he could protest again, you pressed your lips to his for the first time, right there in the empty hallway. The kiss was soft, chaste, and far too brief, but you figured it proved your point well enough.

The blinding smile he gave you pretty much confirmed it.

> _I’ve been reading books of old_  
>  The legends and the myths  
>  The testaments they told  
>  The moon and its eclipse  
>  Superman unrolls  
>  A suit before he lifts  
>  But I’m not the kind of person that it fits

“Oh my god, I can’t do this,” Bucky wheezed, grasping your free hand tightly. “What do I know about it? I’m going to be terrible…”

You made a face at him, pointing to the positive pregnancy test currently sitting on the edge of the sink. “It’s a little too late for that, mister!”

He didn’t reply, and you noticed that his skin was becoming a little ashen.

“Uh, Buck? You wanna sit down for a second?”

Bucky took you literally, and he let go of your hand as he slid to the floor, keeping his back against the bathroom wall. He stared straight ahead, unblinking, as he ran through all the potential terrors of parenthood in his mind.

You moved to sit beside him on the floor, stretching your legs out in front of you.

He grabbed for your hand again almost immediately, lacing your fingers together just as tight as before. His palms were clammy, so you gave his hand a reassuring squeeze.

“Bucky, you’re going to be a great Dad,” you said in a gentle voice. “There has never been a moment since the day I met you where you’ve ever let anyone down. You’re smart and kind and brave and selfless, and those are all qualities that make up a good parent.”

“You think?” he breathed out, turning his head to look at you.

“I know so. Plus, I’m here too, remember? We’re in this together.”

His expression softened at that last part. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I- I didn’t mean to panic. I didn’t even stop to think how you felt.”

“It’s all right,” you reassured him. “I’m scared, too. This wasn’t exactly in the plan this early in our marriage. But you know what makes me feel less anxious?”

“What’s that?”

“Knowing I have you…knowing our baby will have _you_.”

The look he gave you now made you feel like you were the most loved person on Earth. He stood up and pulled you off the floor carefully, too, before enveloping you in his arms.

“I can’t wait to meet our baby,” he murmured in your ear.

Happy tears sprung to your eyes, and you squeezed him a little tighter. “Me either.”

> _She said, “Where d’you wanna go?_  
>  How much you wanna risk?  
>  I’m not looking for somebody  
>  With some superhuman gifts  
>  Some superhero, some fairytale bliss  
>  Just something I can turn to  
>  Somebody I can miss  
>  I want something just like this.”

Your granddaughter held your arm to steady you as you walked through the uneven grass over to the headstone you’d become so familiar with over the years.

_James Buchanan Barnes_

_Loving Husband and Father_

It was too hard to get around on your own now, what with your arthritis always acting up. Lucky for you, your granddaughter offered to come live with you after she graduated college. It was so nice to have another person around to keep you company and help out here and there.

She was trying to save up a little bit of money, but she didn’t know you left everything to her in your will. When the time came for you to join your husband, she’d be well looked after.

That was all possible because before your husband had passed, he made sure _you_ were well looked after.

Bucky had a long life, full of love, laughter, hard work, and some fun, too. When he fell ill, you worried yourself sick every day that it would be the last time you saw him.  Before he passed, he whispered something to you, something you could never seem to get out of your head. It comforted you daily.

“Grandma, what was Grandpa Bucky like?”

She’d heard the stories a hundred times before, but had told you once that she always asked because you always lit up when you talked about him.

“Grandpa was the best man I ever knew,” you said quietly, placing a hand on the cold stone. “He might not have been perfect, but who is, really?”

“He sounds perfect, the way you talk about him.”

You smiled at her. “Love has a funny way of making someone seem perfect, dear. You’ll find that out for yourself someday.”

“Mom always told me he was the best dad she could have hoped for.”

“He doted on your mother,” you agreed, bowing your head as the memories started rushing back all at once.

You remembered the day you found out you were pregnant…the trip to the hospital when your daughter was born…the look in his eyes every time he caught sight of you holding her…the two of them playing outside and laughing together…

Your chest tightened; you wished your husband was with you in that moment so much it physically hurt.

“Grandma, are you okay?”

After a couple of deep breaths, you nodded, meeting her eyes again. “I really miss him, sweetie. That’s all.”

You watched as she set the flowers she brought down against the stone. “I wish I could have known him.”

“Me too. You remind me of him.”

She wrapped an arm around you, and together you stood at the foot of Bucky’s grave. After a moment of silent contemplation, she pulled away.

“I’ll let you have a minute, Gram, I’ll go start the car. It looks like it might rain soon.”

“Okay, sweetie.”

You waited until she was out of earshot before you put your hand back on the stone, struggling to crouch in front of it and using the stone to balance.

“Hi, love,” you whispered into the wind. “I know it’s been a long time since I saw your face, but I have a _feeling_. I know you always told me I was paranoid, but I was usually right, wasn’t I? I have a feeling that my time here is at an end.”

You glanced over at your granddaughter, who was now patiently waiting for you in the car, before looking back at your husband’s name. You traced your fingers over the lettering gently, then moved to trace your own name, the death date blank for the time being.

It was weird to see your name on a headstone, but you didn’t mind so much, because it was next to his name. Your life was better than a fairy tale, all because you had shared it with Bucky.

His dying words crossed your mind again, and they felt really appropriate for this moment, so you repeated them back to him.

“Something just like this lasts forever.”

You stood slowly, hearing all the cracks and crunches in your joints and ignoring the pain shooting through your limbs.

“I’ll see you soon, love.”

The wind blew a little harder this time, sending a shiver down your back, and in that moment you knew he was waiting for you.

> _Oh, I want something just like this_


End file.
